Airship.



L. MATLOCK.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-23,1918.

Patented Apr 1,1919

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AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. 1918.

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Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

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AIRSHIPF APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, 1918.

Ptented Apr. 1, 1919.

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AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. I918.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

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$2 0 O Mk h if. QR mm \W vwemoz w m a w LEONARD MATLOCK, OF RALPH,

AIRSHIIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 191%.

Application filed October 2'3, 1918. Serial Ito. 259,859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD MATLOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ralph, in the county of Marion and State of Arkansas, have invented a. new and useful Airship, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to airships, one of its objects. being to provide anairship having a gas container combined with a sustaining plane and adapted, when collapsed from any cause, to act as a parachute, thus to allow the machine to descend in safety.

, Another object is to provide a machine'ot this'character having a number of propellers which can be adjusted angularly simultaneously, while in operation, thus to propel the machine forwardly or upwardly at any angle desired.

. A still further object is to provide an airship the weight of which is so disposed that the, machine will not turn over while in flight.

With the foregoing and other ob ects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and .pointed out in the claims, it being understood that yarlous changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown. In said drawings-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the collapsed gas container in use as a parachute.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section howing one of the side propellers adjusted angularly out of normal position.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through a portion of the machine and showing the means .jor actuatingthe side propeller supports to shift said propellers.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7, Fig. 6.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates the bottom plane and base of the machine provided with side struts 2 suitably braced, as at 3 and to the upper ends of which is attached a top plane 4. A

' combined deck and sustaining plane 5 is secured toand supported by the struts and extends laterally therebeyond to form upper sustaining wings 6. Lower wings 7 ertend laterally from the struts and the outer edges of the upper and lower wings are-connected 'by braces 8 whichalso extend upwardly and downwardly to the sides of the planes 4 and 1. Supporting wheels 9 are located under the bottom plane 1 and are'jo'urnaled in spring strips 10 secured at: their ends to the plane and reinforced by laminated elli tical springs 11. The upper portions 0 the springs 11 are seated against thrust blocks 12 to the ends ofwhich are secured the ends of the strips 10 and certain of. the braces 8 as shown in Fig. 1. v

A frame 13 is supported above and beyond the edges of the top plane 4, being connected thereto in any suitable manner, as by means of brackets 14. To this frame is connected the marginal portion of a flexible gas bag or container 15 the bottom portion of which is adapted to lie in 'folds upon the plane 4: when thebag is-inflated, while the upper portion will bedistended. asshown in Fig. 3. The parts of the gas bag are so proportioned, however, that should the gas bag collapse from-any cause, the lower portion thereof would-bepre$ed upwardly against the upper portion by the air caught between the frame 13 and the edges of the plane 4,

' with the result that the collapsed container or bag=will thus act as a parachute to retard the descent of the entire machine.

' Mounted on each of the wings 6 close to the outer edge thereof are standards 16 which may be arranged in pairs, as shown, and in each pair of standards a shaft 17 may be slidably and revolubly mounted. The inner end of the shaft is forked as at 18 and has a shaft 19 journaled thereon and extending at right angles to the shaft 17; A pulley 20 is secured to each shaft 19 between the members of the fork 18 and to one end of each shaft 19 is ecured a propeller 21. A gear 22 is secured to the outer end of each shaft 17 and a spring 23 bears at one end against the gear and at its other end against one of the standards 16, thus to hold the shaft normally in position with the fork 18 pressed against the inner standard 16.

Additional standards 24 are mounted on the outer edge portions of the wings 6 and a rod is slidably mounted in the standards 24 on each wing, as shown at 25. Each rod has a rack 26 meshing with each of the gears 22 so that when the rod is moved longitudinally the racks will rotate the gears 22 and cause all of the shafts 17 to rotate simultaneously.

A rack 27 is provided on each rod 25 and meshes with a gear 28 on a transverse shaft 29. Two of these shafts are provided, one for each rod, and the two shafts aline and extend inwardly toward. the center of the plane or deck 5 where they are rovided with gears 30 meshing with sma ler gears 31 revoluble with hand wheels 32. Thus by rotating these wheels 32 the shafts 17 can be rotated as desired.

Longitudinal shafts 33 are journaled on the struts 2 and each is provided with a pulley 34 receiving motion through a belt 35 from a pulley 36 driven by an engine 37. Pulleys 38 are secured to the shafts 33 and are adapted to transmit motion through belts 39 to the respective pulleys 20.

A longitudinal shaft 40 is journaled in the machine and has a propeller 41 at the front end thereof. This shaft is adapted tobe Y driven by a separate motor 42 through belt and pulle mechanism shown at 4=3.

With tie various propellers in motion it will be apparent that the direction of flight of themachine can be controlled. The infiated balloon will assist the side pro ellers in elevating the machine when said si e propellers are adjusted angularly to vertical positions, or, in other words, to positions where the will rotate about vertical axes.

By adjusting the side propellers so as to rotate about lnclined axes the propellers 21 will all the machine. forwardly and upward y. By operating the ropellers at one side while the ones at the ot 1er side are stationary the machine can be caused to turn.

Suitable rudders 44 having any desired controlling mechanism can be rovided for steering the machine either or oth laterally and vertically. As the rotation of the shafts 17 twists the belts 35 the springs 23 are provided to allow the shafts 17 to shift lon 'tudinally and at the same time hold the elts taut.

What is claimed is 1. In an airship the combination with superposed planes, and wings formin side extensions of one of the planes, of slidable and revoluble transvers shafts supported by the wings, a shaft extending transversely of and movable with each of said transverse shafts, a pro eller thereon, means for driving the propeller shafts, means for simultaneously rotating the slidable and revoluble shafts to adjust the propeller shafts angularly, and yielding means for retardin the sliding movement of the shafts to hofd the driving means taut. v

2. In an airship the combination with a plane having. laterally extending wings, o1

transvers shafts supported by the wings and mounted to slide and rotate, propeller shafts supported by and extending trans versely of the said transverse shafts,

(gears upon the transverse shafts, racks sli ably mounted and engaging the gears, means for actuating the racks to simultaneously rotate the transverse shafts and adjust the ropeller shafts angularly, drive shafts, bel fs connecting the drive and propeller shafts,.and yielding means for controllin the sliding movement of the transverse shafts to hold the belts taut during said angular adjustment.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEONARD MATLOCK.

Witnesses:

E. A. STRODE, J. H. Pmnurs. 

